In order to meet today's high speed data service requirements, typical access networks that connect customers to service providers have evolved to hybrid fiber/copper networks. These networks may comprise a remote terminal located close to the customer with a copper drop to the customer premises and a fiber optic connection to the central office. The copper link may use a high speed digital subscriber line (DSL) technology to connect the remote terminal and the customer premises, while the fiber link may use a variant of optical technology such as a passive optical network (PON) to connect to the central office.
The current fiber/copper network architecture may be limited by the high complexity of the remote node which terminates the DSL. Managing the copper link may also be costly as any physical layer issues can inevitably lead to a truck roll to the remote node or customer premises. Additionally, the remote node may be installed in locations with severe space constraints which prohibit loop unbundling. With deeper fiber penetration, today's remote node may be getting installed closer and closer to the customer premises, serving less customers, each with ever higher bandwidth requirements. As a result, there is a demand for high bandwidth, low density, and low complexity remote terminals that are easy to manage.